A 50-pound or larger dog
pulling a small wagon (Figure 1) is useful at an SCA event. He can pull armor,
pull a child, and help with water bearing and shopping. In period, tradesmen
used dogs to make local cart deliveries. In 1486, Dame Juliana Berners
mentions in her book titled, Boke of St. Albans, three types of English draft
dogs; turnspit, butcher and midden dogs (1.). Turnspit dogs were small dogs
which were used to turn the cooking spit (2.). Butchers used their large dogs
make meat deliveries (2.). Midden dogs were used to haul garbage to the midden
or garbage dump. There is a dog cart illumination on folio 110v in the 14th
century manuscript commonly called the Smithfield Decretals (British Library
Manuscript Royal 10 E IV). During 14th century in northern France, dogs were
used to make local cart deliveries (3.). Dr. Johannes Caius wrote in his 1576
book, Of Englishe Dogges, about four types of English draft dogs; Water Drawer,
Turnspit, Tinker Cur, and Butcher Dog. The Water Drawer was used to draw water
out of wells "by a wheel which they turn about, by the moving of their
burthenous bodies." The Tinker Cur carried the tools of the traveling
tinker in a dog pack-saddle or backpack.

Figure 1: Medium sized
dog pulling a
wagon.

The royal families of Europe
frequently used dogs to introduce their children to the equestrian arts of
riding and carriage driving. Around the age of four, a royal prince would
graduate from riding lessons on a dog to his first pony (4.). In 1608, the 7
year old - future Louis XIII of France, was given a miniature carriage to which
he hitched his two dogs, Pataut and Lion (5.). At this time, France was a
leading innovator in carriage building (6.), and it is not surprising the young
prince was given a miniature version. During the reign of the Roman emperor
Nero, the racing stables of Rome went on strike. The strike was broken by the
threat to replace horses with dogs in the chariot races (7.). Working dogs
were used as draft dogs for carts into the early 20th century (8.). Beginning
in the early 19th century, humane societies lobbied for laws to regulate the
use of cart dogs. In 1840, canine carts were banned in London. In 1855, all
vehicles pulled by draft dogs were outlawed in Great Britain (9.).

A number of manuscripts show
horse wagons (figure 2) that appear to be similar in shape to vintage European
hand wagons (Figure 1). This type of wagon is called a "ladder
wagon" because the sides resemble a ladder. Sometimes they are called
"goat" or "pumpkin" wagons. These hand wagons are similar
in size to the red metal hand wagons that are frequently used at SCA events in
the United States. Vintage ladder wagons come in three sizes: small, medium,
and large. The wagon in Figure 1 is the medium size. They can be bought on
eBay or from antique dealers. Reproduction ladder wagons are cheaper and also
may be bought on eBay or garden stores that sell garden decorations.

Figure 2: Medieval horse-drawn Ladder Wagon

This article will cover how to
convert a ladder wagon into a period model of a horse ladder wagon. It will
outline how to train a medium to large dog to pull your wagon. In addition,
patterns for the breast harness and shafts are given. This article assumes the
reader has basic woodworking skills, in addition to sewing or leather working
skills.

At this point I wish to avoid
confusion by giving some definitions.

Cart: Vehicle with two wheels in parallel. This
article will not cover adapting a cart to a dog.

Wagon: Vehicle with four wheels.

Dog Cart: For this article, a 'dog cart' is any wheeled
vehicle pulled by a dog. There is also a 19th century horse cart called a
"Dog Cart" which was designed to carry hunting dogs under the
passenger seats.

Shafts: The poles that extend from the wagon body and are
parallel to the draft animal. The draft animal steers the cart or wagon with
the shafts.

Traces: Straps that attach near the wagon body and to the
harness. The draft animal pulls on the traces and moves the wagon. Sometimes
the traces are connected to the shaft ends.

Bridle: The part of the harness that attaches to the
draft animal's head. With dogs a simple collar may be used instead of a bridle.

Reins: Two straps used to signal the draft animal. With
dog carts the reins may be attached to a bridle or to a simple collar.

Dog carting: The dog handler walks a dog on a leash while the
dog pulls a wagon. Any size dog can be trained for dog carting as long as the
vehicle and weight pulled is appropriate to the dog's size. The rule of thumb
is a dog can pull up to three times his weight with a wheeled vehicle. When
calculating the maximum cargo weight, don't forget to subtract the vehicle
weight from the total weight.

Dog driving: A large dog pulls a wagon while the dog handler
rides in the wagon. Voice commands or reins, usually both, are used to control
the dog. This article does not cover dog driving.

Training

Training should be started even
before the wagon conversion and breast harness are complete. It is important
for the dog to enjoy dog carting. Once he learns to enjoy carting he will
eventually take pride in having a job. My dog, Vixen, whines and runs around
when I take the harness and wagon out. She cannot wait to pull the wagon. The
dog should already know how to walk quietly on a leash beside you. He does not
need to be so well trained he can win obedience titles. He does need to have
good basic manners on a leash. Fifteen minutes a day over a week or two should
be enough for your dog to learn the basics of carting. Treats and praise are
strong motivators. Hot dogs, thinly sliced, are cheap and get my dog's
undivided attention. If you or the dog gets frustrated or angry, immediately
stop for the day. There is always tomorrow to try again.

Four voice commands need to be
taught. You may use any word you want as the voice command, but you must be
consistent or you will confuse the dog. The voice commands can be taught and
reviewed any time you take your dog for a walk around the neighborhood. The
most important command is for the dog to stop. I use the word 'whoa' for my
dog to stop beside me. 'Halt' or 'stop' will work too.

Next, you want your dog to turn
left or right on command. I use the words 'right' and 'left' with a light tug
on the leash in the correct direction. 'Gee' and 'haw' are the traditional
driving terms for right and left.

The command to walk backwards
is the hardest of the four voice commands to teach. It is very useful when
there is not enough room to make a u-turn. Initially, I push on the dog's
chest and force him to take a step or two backwards while I say the word
'back.' Once the dog understands what is wanted, I stop pushing on the chest
when I give the command. Your goal with the back up command is for the dog to
back up a couple of feet in a straight line.

If your dog has never worn a
harness, he needs to become familiar with the feel of the straps on his back and
chest. For this purpose, a cheap walking harness from the local pet store will
serve fine. Just put it on and let him get used to it.

Some dogs are initially scared
of the wagon when they pull it. They try to get away from the sound of the
wagon and become frightened when they cannot escape the sound. Since you don't
want your dog hurt by the wagon or the wagon damaged if the dog runs away, you
need to get him used to the sound of something following him. This training
method also trains the dog to pull. Put a harness on the dog. Get a long rope
and a gallon milk jug filled with water. Tie the rope end to the milk jug.
Tie the other end to the harness. Now walk your dog with the leash on his
collar and let him pull the milk jug. Give him lots of praise and reassurance.
He may want to stop and look back at the milk jug. After a few days he
should be comfortable with pulling the milk jug around. Now you are ready to
introduce the dog to pulling the wagon.

Introduce your dog to the look
and smell of the wagon. You don't want the wagon itself to scare the dog. I
recommend you leave the wagon someplace where your dog can check it out in his
leisure for a day or so. Try leaving it in the living room or the yard if your
dog is allowed to run free in the yard.

Put the breast harness on the
dog and hitch him to the wagon. At first some dogs do not like being confined
between the shafts. Treats and praise will get him over this dislike. Slowly
walk your dog while he pulls the wagon. The wagon will sound different than
the milk jug and he may want to stop and look back at it. After a few days he
should get used to pulling the wagon and you can train him to stop, to turn,
and to back up the wagon with the voice commands. You also need to learn to
maneuver him and the wagon in tight spots. You must watch where the wagon is
because the dog has no idea how wide the wagon is. On his own he will bump
into people and knock things over.

Breast
Harness

The breast harness (Figure 3a)
is period to the Middle Ages and is fairly simple to make. It can be made of
strong leather or webbing straps. The straps should be at least an inch and
half wide. The harness needs to be padded across the chest and back. Real or
fake sheepskin fleece works fine as padding.

The breech section (Figure 3b)
of the harness allows the dog to brake the wagon and keeps the wagon from
overrunning the dog on down grades. He also uses it to back the wagon. The
simplest breech to make is a 'false breech.' It is just a strap between the
shafts and is located two or three inches behind the dog. When braking, the
wagon it should come in contact below the base of the tail and above the top of
the legs. When he pulls the wagon it should not touch him. It should be near
enough to him to engage easily to slow the wagon as needed.

The two traces are made of the
same strong material as the harness. They are used to transfer the pulling
power of the dog to the wagon. They are long straps with clips on both ends.
The length of the traces should be the distance from the D-ring on the harness
to the pulling points on the wagon. See the section about making shafts.

When you make the harness,
remember to make the inside surfaces smooth so the harness will not chaff the
dog's skin.

Dog carting harnesses can be
bought and they range in price from $30 to $100. A short list of sources for
ready-made cart items is at the end of the article.

Figure
3a: Harness Measuring Points on the Dog

Points A to B on Figure of
Harness

Measure the circumference of
the dog's body behind the front legs. On a horse, this is the girth measurement.
A buckle will be added to this section of the harness at point A, so add a few
inches to the measurement. Pad the area across the dog's back since this part
of the harness carries the weight of the shafts.

Points C to D on Figure of
Harness

Measure from one side behind
the dog's front leg at the girth, across the front of his chest, to behind the
front leg on the other side. The chest strap must be padded so it doesn't
chaff the dog. A D-ring is installed at point C on the harness on both sides of
the harness. These are the pulling points on the harness and the traces attach
here.

Points E to F on Figure of
Harness

Measure from the chest strap
just below the base of the dog's neck, across the dog and on to the chest strap
on his other side. This neck strap keeps the chest strap from falling down.

Measure the diameter of the
shafts. Using the strap material, make
two loops just large enough to slide freely on the shafts. Install one loop
on each side of the harness between points B and C. These loops hold up the
shafts. The shafts should be high enough so they don't get in the way of the
dog's movement. Ideally the shafts should be about an inch above point C on
figure of Harness.

Figure
3b: Breeching straps used for braking

Shafts

The pattern for the wagon
shafts (Figure 4) is based on the shafts of a 19th century dog sulky I own. The
design has been slightly modified so the shafts can be used to replace the
wagon handle. The shafts should be thickest on the horizontal and thinner on
the vertical. Shafts need to be strong enough to steer a wagon but should not
be heavy. Massive shafts look out of proportion to the dog and add
unnecessary weight for the dog to pull. Traditionally, shafts are made of oak
or ash. Do not use plywood to make your shafts.

Figure 4: Pattern for
the Wagon Shafts

The primary function of
shafts is for the draft animal to STEER the vehicle. If you use long traces
with your wagon (four wheels), steering the wagon is the main function of the
shafts, and braking is the secondary function. See the breeching in the harness
section of this article. Thus, there is no need to make heavy shafts. On the
wagon shaft plans (figure 4), the function of the bent wood half circle is to
stiffen the shafts in the horizontal direction for steering.

Figure
5: How to Measure Your Dog for Shafts

A to C: Distance from chest to back of rear leg under base
of tail.

B to C: Distance from front of chest to behind the
shoulder blade and under the withers.

B(left) to B(right): Width of dog behind the neck and under the
withers.

B to D: Shaft Height from Ground. On a cart, the shafts
should be level to the ground.

E to A: Distance greater than half the distance from B to
D. This space is for kick room of the rear legs. If the shafts are used on a
wagon, this distance may need to be greater.

E: Front of cart body should not extend beyond this
point

F: Back of cart body

With carts (two wheels), another function of the shafts is for the
draft animal to balance the cart. The cargo in a cart should be distributed so
that the two wheels and axle primarily support the weight ofthe cargo. A small draft animal such as a dog, should
have very, very little weight supported on its back. In fact, a horse, goat, or
dog can pull more effectively if the cart just slightly lifts the dog. Modern
horse racing sulkies are designed to take advantage of this fact. On a
cart, shafts also work as primitive springs. They should be thin enough in
the vertical cross section direction so they can flex slightly and help cushion
the dog's back from the jostling of the cart over bumpy terrain. The horizontal
cross section of the shafts should be thicker than the vertical cross section.
Thus, the shafts will be stiff in this direction for steering.

The dimensions given in figure
4 are to make wagon shafts that will fit most 50 to 80 pound dogs. Figure 5
shows how to adjust the shaft dimensions to fit any size dog.

A long metal pin attaches the
wagon handle to the ladder wagon. Remove the pin and handle from the wagon.
Drill a hole large enough for the pin in the end of the pole that extends from
between the shafts. Install the shafts in place of the wagon handle and attach
the shafts with the pin. See the inset picture in the figure 4. The wagon
conversion is almost complete.

The two traces need an
attachment point to the dog wagon. There are two ways to attach the traces.
The simplest manner is to install two screw eyes to one of the cross bars
between the shafts. The eye screws are screwed on each end of the cross bar
near the shafts. The other method is to attach the traces to a swingle tree
(or whipple tree) and to attach the swingle tree between the shafts and the
cross-bars. See figures 6 and 2. A swingle tree is a bar that is as slightly
wider than the dog and has attachment points for the traces at each end. The
center of the swingle tree has a hole dilled in it for a bolt. The swingle
tree is attached to the center of the front cross bar, such that the swingle
tree can pivot around its center without hitting the shafts or the crossbar.
As the dog swings his front leg forward, one side of the dog's chest pushes
forward, and so on. The swingle tree translates the side-to-side pull of the
dog's shoulders to pulling the center of the wagon. In addition, a swingle
tree makes pulling more comfortable for the dog.

Figure
6: Swingle Tree Assembly

Conclusion

Several years ago, I started
taking my dog and my dog carts to local events. I liked not having to carry my
water, folding chair, and etc. around events. I found in the SCA, adults like
the idea of putting their big dog to work and of adding a little ambience to
their persona, camp, and event. Children like the idea of playing
"horse" with a dog. Vixen loves the attention and being petted.
Converting a small hand wagon into a dog wagon and training a dog is not hard.
If you are interested in dog carting, I encourage you to give it a try.

Vivian
Ellis, Richard Ellis, and Joy Claxton, Make the Most of Carriage Driving, 1995.
Published by J. A. Allen & Company Limited, London. ISBN: 0.85131.602.6

Dr.
Johannes Caius, Of English Dogs (Of Englishe Dogges), English translation
originally published in 1576. (It was originally written in Latin by John Keys
in 1570.) Facsimile reprinted in 1993 by Beech Publishing House, West Sussex,
England. (pages 32, 36, 37)ISBN: 1 85736 070 2

Any carriage
shop or wheelwright catering to the Amish and Mennonite communities is a good
source for well constructed wood spoke wheels with either metal or hard rubber
tires. They can be ordered in any diameter you want. Be kind to your dog and
order wheels with cone or ball bearings. The bearings are hidden in the wood
hubs. In 2004, new wood spoke wheels cost from $80 to $100 each.

I use
Witmer Coach Shop

1070 West
Main Street
New Holland, PA 17557
(717) 656-3411

Biography

Lady Rachel
of Bhakail is the poorly educated daughter of an English pilgrim. She doesn't
know what year it is. "To whose calendar are you referring?" Rachel
lives as a traveling performer and by her wits. She uses a dog cart to travel.
The game warden believes her draft dog is really a lurcher and thinks her
hedgehog stew tastes suspiciously like rabbit stew.

Rebecca
Morris lives in Philadelphia with her Golden Retriever cross Chow Chow mix dog,
Vixen. She is a Test Engineer who tests batteries for space and military
applications. She has yet to meet the Energizer Bunny. Rebecca collects
antique dog carts and exercises her dog using a 19th century dog sulky. She
thanks all who share their garb research and patterns.

------

Copyright
2004, 2005 by Rebecca Morris, 1959 Pratt Street, Philadelphia, PA 19124, USA.
<TheDancingJewel at aol.com>. Permission is granted for republication in
SCA-related publications, provided the author is credited. Addresses change,
but a reasonable attempt should be made to ensure that the author receives a
copy.

If
this article is reprinted in a publication, I would appreciate a notice in the
publication that you found this article in the Florilegium. I would also
appreciate an email to myself, so that I can track which articles are being
reprinted. Thanks. -Stefan.